


To Build a Dream On

by sakurain (meteorain)



Category: Code Geass
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-05
Updated: 2014-10-05
Packaged: 2018-02-19 23:17:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,325
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2406554
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/meteorain/pseuds/sakurain
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Suzaku and Lelouch and five kisses between them.</p>
            </blockquote>





	To Build a Dream On

**Author's Note:**

> Originally written for kiss day way back earlier this year. For Kura.

-

1

-

 

“First you touch her hair and then you—you do something like _that._ ” Lelouch glares at Suzaku as they make their way back to the storehouse. “Sometimes I wonder if you learned any manners.”

 “Nunnally didn’t mind,” Suzaku replies petulantly, as if that is the only excuse he needs.

 Lelouch stops in his tracks to whirl around on Suzaku, pleased when he causes the other boy to jump back a step in surprise. “You,” Lelouch begins irately and points an accusatory finger at Suzaku, “cannot expect me to just let you kiss my sister and not say anything about it.”

 The fact that Suzaku does look a little remorseful causes Lelouch’s anger to lessen a bit. Suzaku ruins it the moment he crosses his arms behind his head and says, “I don’t see what the big deal is. I was only trying to make her feel better.”

 “You can’t kiss my sister,” Lelouch orders, lowering his hand and clenching his fists. “Not on the nose or the cheek or anywhere else—and especially not without me knowing!”

 Suzaku stares back with a weird, thoughtful look, as if he cannot understand why Lelouch is so angry. His brow furrows, like he’s trying to work out the reason in his head, and Lelouch is about to call him an idiot to be done with it when Suzaku’s expression clears with sudden understanding.

 “Oh,” Suzaku says with a wide grin.

 “What?” Lelouch replies anxiously. The glee on Suzaku’s face is not at all comforting.

 “I get it,” Suzaku says, looking insufferably smug, like he’s figured something out something very clever.

 “Get _what_ ,” Lelouch demands impatiently.

 Without any warning, Suzaku leans over and plants a sloppy kiss right on Lelouch’s nose. Lelouch promptly shrieks and shoves Suzaku away, fervently rubbing away at the spit on his face.

 “Hey, why are you doing that?”

 Lelouch’s expression is twisted in indignation and his nose is scrubbed an angry red once he lowers his arm to stare at Suzaku. “Why am I—you are so barbaric, who does a thing like that without—”

 “That’s not how you treat someone who does something nice for you,” Suzaku interrupts, crossing his arms and frowning.

 Lelouch sputters in disbelief. “ _Nice_ —?”

 “Yeah, you were jealous you didn’t get a kiss, too, right? You could’ve just said so.” Suzaku shrugs. “So, I made it equal. Now you both got kissed.”   Suzaku grins again, looking very satisfied with both himself and his logic. “You’re welcome.”

 Suzaku doesn’t get a thank you but the way Lelouch’s face turns really red is kind of cute, even if Lelouch does push him into a nearby bush.

 

 

-

2

-

 

“Ow,” Suzaku says, as Lelouch applies peroxide to one of his cuts none too gently. He lets out a hiss of pain when Lelouch repeats the motion and Suzaku frowns miserably. “You’re really awful at this, aren’t you?”

 They’re seated on the edge of Lelouch’s bed, facing each other, with an open medical kit beside them. Lelouch rolls his eyes and presses a peroxide-soaked cotton ball against the scrape on Suzaku’s cheek with more force than he should and he’s rewarded with a short yelp from Suzaku. “This is your own fault. If you hadn’t been so eager to be a _hero_ —”

 Suzaku glares at him, yet with his ever-present wince from Lelouch’s none-too-kind doctoring, it looks more like he’s pouting. “Did you even hear what they were saying about you?” Lelouch fixes Suzaku with a flat stare as he reaches toward the kit again.

 “I’m well aware. I do have perfectly functioning ears,” Lelouch retorts, slapping a square of gauze bandage to Suzaku’s scraped cheek. It’s more of a hard pat despite Lelouch putting some force into it but Suzaku whines regardless. It’s more for show than anything else, Lelouch knows, and he smirks as he sifts through the kit for another, smaller bandage.

 “Honestly, did you really have to fight all five of them?” Suzaku holds still while Lelouch affixes the bandage to a cut just below one of his eyes.

 “Yes,” Suzaku answers succinctly, not looking at Lelouch. He’s busy tugging his shirtsleeves back down, covering up the bandages on his arms and doing up the buttons at his wrists. Lips pressed firmly together in frustration, Lelouch only shakes his head before standing up with the kit in his hands.

 “Hey,” Suzaku says from behind him, and Lelouch only hums a reply, setting the kit atop his desk and not turning around just yet.   He doesn’t have to because strong arms circle around his waist, pulling him back and down again, this time atop Suzaku’s lap and against his chest. Lelouch shivers a little when callused fingers brush away the hair at his nape. A soft breath tickles against the back of his neck when Suzaku leans forward, and Lelouch shuts his eyes at the feel of warm, dry lips.

 “Thanks,” Suzaku murmurs quietly, spoken against his skin.

 “If you really want to thank me, don’t do something that stupid again,” Lelouch replies sullenly. It isn’t that he’s ungrateful for Suzaku’s protective gesture; he simply wishes that Suzaku would not land himself in situations that would result in him being harmed in his stead.

 “I’ll try,” Suzaku says against his shoulder, where he’d moved to rest his head while his arms tighten a little around Lelouch’s waist.

 “Idiot,” Lelouch sighs heavily before he leans further back into Suzaku’s hold.

 

 

-

3

-

 

It isn’t Lelouch’s fault—it rarely is, given his sheer obliviousness when it came to realizing how easily he charmed everyone. This time, it had been a girl and a particularly forward one, too. She’d been sitting beside Lelouch, close, murmuring some meaningless plea or another and pressed along Lelouch’s side in what would make any normal teenage boy dizzy with pleasure.

 Naturally, Lelouch had paid no mind nor made any complaints about her alarmingly intrusive proximity, and she’d clearly been ready to make a move when Suzaku had entered the classroom. It had only taken a few, swift moves for Suzaku to walk over, separate them, and firmly drag Lelouch out of the room and far from her amorous intentions.

 Suzaku does not speak as he pulls Lelouch down the long Ashford Academy hallways. He can feel Lelouch stumble behind him in an attempt to match his quick stride.

“Suzaku, what is—would you _stop_ ,” Lelouch finally bites out as he tries, one more time, at a futile attempt to free himself from Suzaku’s grip.

 Whatever else Lelouch is ready to say is choked off when Suzaku pulls him down a small, empty corridor, to a corner shadowed beneath the staircase, and presses him up against the wall.

 “What precisely is all of this about?” Lelouch demands, wincing when Suzaku does not let up his hold on him in the slightest.

 Lelouch is really angry—Suzaku can feel the hot prickle of irritation beneath Lelouch’s skin where his fingers are still wrapped around his wrist. Suzaku also knows that he doesn’t help matters much when Lelouch’s words are drowned away once more in some unintelligible sound when Suzaku pulls that wrist up to kiss it.

 It’s an apology, yes, but it’s also a sudden need to have Lelouch—make it known to himself that Lelouch is his and that no one else can do this. He breathes out there, a hot sigh that makes Lelouch start and his fingers flex and twitch near Suzaku’s face. Suzaku laughs at the reaction, and when Lelouch glares at him, Suzaku only closes his eyes and kisses his wrist again.

 There’s the sound of a soft, “Suzaku”, along with a small gasp for air. Suzaku keeps his eyes shut, mouthing at the thin, fair skin round the bony area of Lelouch’s wrist. He can hear Lelouch draw in another breath as his pulse quickens against his lips. Suzaku kisses that trembling spot again, firmly, tasting Lelouch’s skin.

 When Suzaku opens his eyes, Lelouch’s own are glazed and lidded and he’s curled back against the wall, legs shaking and threatening to give out. Suzaku only smiles up at Lelouch and pulls away a little to ask, “Better?”

 Looking attractively flushed but less livid than before, Lelouch mutters something beneath his breath before he reaches for him and Suzaku is only too happy to oblige.

 

 

-

4

-

 

Following the capture of the Damocles and the imprisonment of Lelouch’s remaining enemies, Suzaku finds himself with very little to do. Of course, there are the meetings and final preparations but things do come to a very painful standstill. He knows his purported “death” is integral to Lelouch’s plans but having nothing more to do other than rehearse his part for the final act is enough to make Suzaku feel stir crazy.

 Lelouch must notice. He’s giving Suzaku those sidelong glances, like he would back in Ashford, when he was thinking far too much about things Suzaku had yet to realize. Suzaku tries to ignore it and avoid Lelouch’s suspicion. He tries to busy himself with mundane tasks like laundry and cooking, sorting out what little belonging he has left over and over even though he will need even less of them in less than a month.

 He’s almost thankful when Lelouch finally does something about it.

 Lelouch calls him to his room and when Suzaku walks in, he finds him seated on the lower edge of his bed. The lavish cape of his robes is hung up in the open wardrobe, leaving Lelouch looking far more approachable and less like the ruler of the world. Suzaku prefers Lelouch like that.

 “Where’s C.C.?” Suzaku asks in lieu of a greeting, stepping fully into the room and letting the door shut behind him.

 Lelouch only shrugs before standing up. “Off somewhere, up to whatever she pleases. I don’t know where to but I’m sure she’ll return soon.”

 Suzaku makes a thoughtful noise in reply, not sure how he would respond if he could.

 “And you?” Suzaku starts at the sudden, direct question; he’d half expected Lelouch to dance around the issue first. There’s concern in Lelouch’s eyes, such a far cry from the hard look that Lelouch has perfected for his act as the tyrant of the world. When Lelouch frowns, Suzaku remembers that he’s yet to reply.

 “What about me?” He watches as Lelouch walks over to the small desk and starts doing something on the laptop there.

 “You’ve been quiet. More than usual.” Lelouch pauses in whatever he’s doing and his gaze sharply returns to Suzaku. “What’s wrong?”

 “Nothing is wrong." When Lelouch narrows his eyes, not buying it for a second, Suzaku sighs. “Just trying to find ways to keep busy, all right?”

 There’s a choked sound and Suzaku glares at the sight of Lelouch pressing a hand to his mouth, holding back a laugh.

 “Is that all?” Lelouch finally replies, a tiny, knowing smile on his lips.

 “I have nothing to pilot and all I have left is to—well, there really isn’t much for me to do, is there?” Suzaku steps forward, curiosity getting the better of him, to be closer to Lelouch. “What are you doing?”

 His inquiry is answered by the sound of a soft, lilting waltz flooding the room. Lelouch straightens up and turns to Suzaku and holds out a hand to him. Suzaku stares at it until Lelouch sighs and says, “Come over here.”

 “What,” Suzaku blurts out, unintentionally stepping back, as though threatened by the request. At Lelouch’s unimpressed look he shakes his head. “Oh no—look, that’s not exactly a skill I managed to pick up.”

 “Don’t worry, I don’t expect a ballroom performance from you, if that’s what you’re worried about,” Lelouch replies, looking far too amused for Suzaku’s tastes. The look in his eyes then turns teasing. “Then again, I always could teach you.”

 Suzaku makes a last attempt at an escape. “Is there really a need for—”

 “Suzaku,” Lelouch interrupts with a sweet smile on his face. It’s the one he usually has when he’s about to call Suzaku an idiot. “Come over here.”

 It’s less of a request now, and Suzaku obeys, stopping in front of Lelouch and meeting his gaze helplessly.

 “I’ll make this easy for you.” Lelouch reaches forward, taking Suzaku’s hands and positioning Suzaku’s left hand at his waist while gripping his right. “This isn’t quite the proper way but we can make do.”

 For the first time in a long time Suzaku feels his age. His fingers flex around Lelouch’s and he can feel his hands getting clammy and that only makes him even more irrationally nervous about this. It’s just a silly lesson—Lelouch’s idea of keeping him distracted and sane—and it’s with the one person who’s always taken him as he is, even at his worst.

 “What do I do?”

 “Left foot forward,” Lelouch prompts. When Suzaku takes that step, Lelouch moving his right foot back to match, Lelouch nods. “Now, to the side.”

 They move at an unsteady rhythm. It’s clear that Lelouch used to leading and Suzaku’s movements sway between hesitant and rushed, for once not knowing how to move himself in the right way. They continue in a hushed, slow manner, save for Lelouch’s occasional reminders to try and keep them in step. Eventually, that, too, stops and they are left with silence.

 “Arthur’s disappeared on me,” Suzaku says, tired of not speaking.

 Lelouch rolls his eyes, stepping to the side, and this time Suzaku is perfectly in time with him. “Don’t tell me you actually miss being mauled by that cat.”

 “He’s gotten better, you know,” Suzaku says, looking down briefly before he takes his next step, more sure of himself. “Just bites my hand now and then and it doesn’t even hurt. I haven’t seen him in days, though.”

 “He’ll be back,” Lelouch reassures, and then suddenly his arms are wrapping around Suzaku’s shoulders. The move throws Suzaku off balance, and he freezes in his next step, fumbling to place his now empty hand. It settles somewhere at the small of Lelouch’s back. This is apparently an open invitation for Lelouch to lean against him entirely, resting his head against Suzaku’s neck.

 Suzaku pauses as his mind and body stutter to an uncomfortable stop. Lelouch does not reply but he does tug Suzaku, gently, prompting him to try and continue despite the position they are in now. It’s difficult to deny Lelouch something so small and Suzaku shifts his hold and circles his arms around Lelouch’s waist.

 The calm that had settled in his mind disappears when Suzaku experiences the painful sensation of being forced back into reality.

 “Hey,” Suzaku says, almost wishing he hadn’t. He feels more than hears the small, questioning sound Lelouch returns. It sounds tired, almost drowsy, and Suzaku wonders how late it must be because Lelouch feels so heavy and warm in his arms.

 “I don’t think I’m going to learn anything this way,” Suzaku jokes uneasily.

 It seems to do the trick, however, as Lelouch remembers himself and he pulls away from Suzaku—but not out of his grasp—to stand straighter. His eyes are wide and Suzaku can feel him go stiff in his arms.

 “I—I’m sorry.” Lelouch slides his hands down from Suzaku’s shoulders, down the length of his arms to press against the front of his chest instead. After a moment, he lets out a strained laugh. “That wasn’t very good, was it?”

 “We can try again tomorrow,” Suzaku offers, even as he feels the ease between them disappear to be replaced by the same awkward distance they show each other these days.

 “Of course,” Lelouch returns distractedly. He starts to pull away, and Suzaku is ready to let him, when Lelouch pauses and appears to reconsider his move. Instead, Lelouch lifts one hand to brush away Suzaku’s bangs and he leans forward to press his lips to his forehead.

 Suzaku shuts his eyes, holding back the urge to do more—to kiss Lelouch until neither of them can breathe or think. It isn’t the time and Suzaku wants what is left of this to last as long as it can. Lelouch remains there to sigh against his skin, before he recedes and squeezes his hand at Suzaku’s arm.

 Lelouch’s gaze shifts down, eyeing some nondescript spot on Suzaku’s chest. He clears his throat. “You should get some sleep.”

 Suzaku nods and, finally, lets Lelouch go and turns to leave.

 “Tomorrow,” Lelouch says, causing Suzaku to jerk to a halt and look back at him. Lelouch bites his lip, as though he hadn’t meant to speak. He grips the edge of his desk before meeting Suzaku’s eyes. “Let’s have lunch, too.”

 Suzaku stares at him and blinks, unsure what to say.

 “I’ll make something,” Lelouch adds, sounding flustered. Suzaku can see the barest hint of red in his face; it’s a nice sight, one of many that Suzaku’s missed.

 “Yeah,” Suzaku says with a smile. “Okay.”

 

 

-

5

-

 

The summer heat is unbearable with thick, oven-hot air and the blistering sun making the world uninhabitable for normal people and Lelouch can no longer stand it.

 “This is inhumane,” Lelouch wheezes out, splayed out on the floor of the modestly sized living room of Suzaku’s apartment. His complaint receives no acknowledgement and Lelouch lets out a disgruntled huff and shuts his eyes. Even in a borrowed t-shirt and shorts, the heat is unbearably exhausting. The carpet he’s lying on is woven, hard on his back and scratchy on his bare legs, but it’s far better than lying on the couch.

 They’ve been in Japan for about a week now. Try as he might, how and why there are here in the first place eludes Lelouch at every turn. It might have something to do with the fact that they’ve passed the week doing nothing more than laze around the small apartment. They try to keep cool before usually giving into the heat, wrapping themselves with each other and tiring themselves out enough to sleep through the night.

 A small chuckle makes Lelouch snap open his eyes to find Suzaku standing over him. Suzaku kneels beside him and reaches a hand forward to brush back the sweaty hair from his brow to press a soaked washcloth to his forehead. A tiny shudder goes through Lelouch at the cool feel of it and he lets out a small sigh of thanks, his eyes slipping closed once more.

 “How you can handle these conditions is beyond me,” Lelouch murmurs quietly; talking any louder would require too much effort.

 “It’s not that bad,” Suzaku reasons. He grins when Lelouch opens his eyes entirely to regard him with very clear disgust. “Well, I still like summer.”

 “You are a monster,” Lelouch declares pleasantly, and he somehow finds the energy to smile teasingly.

 Suzaku rolls his eyes but grins back all the same. He takes a moment to swing a leg over Lelouch’s middle to lean over him, on his knees and arms, hovering over Lelouch. “I think you’ll survive,” Suzaku jokes affectionately before he leans in to kiss him.

 “Mmph?” Suzaku lets out in confusion when Lelouch presses a hand over his face.

 “No,” Lelouch orders, grimacing already at the feel of sweaty, heated skin as he weakly shoves Suzaku away. “It is far too hot for you to be this close. Go away.”

“You’re no fun,” Suzaku mumbles unhappily against his hand. The look in his eyes turns thoughtful—and then predatory. Lelouch is about to ask what he’s thinking and planning about when Suzaku darts his tongue out, licking the middle of Lelouch’s palm.

 “You—” Lelouch sputters as he snatches his hand back, as though burnt. “You are unbelievable.”

 “Yeah,” Suzaku agrees with another smile, his eyes warm. “So are you.” Lelouch rolls his eyes but when Suzaku leans down to kiss him, properly this time, he does allow him one before he pushes Suzaku away again.

 

 


End file.
